Appalachian Power Seeks Two Invenergy Wind Projects

In concurrent filings made with the Virginia State Corporation Commission and the Public Service Commission of West Virginia, Appalachian Power is requesting regulatory approvals to acquire two wind facilities under development in Ohio and West Virginia.

Both under development by Invenergy LLC, the 175 MW Hardin Wind Facility will be located in Hardin County, Ohio, and the 50 MW Beech Ridge II Wind Facility will be situated in Greenbrier County, W. Va.

“We are continuing our transition to an energy company of the future and further diversifying our power generation portfolio. These acquisitions move us in that direction,” states Chris Beam, Appalachian Power’s president and chief operating officer. “Direct ownership and operation of these facilities will give our employees new experiences in the planning, production and delivery of power from diverse generating assets as Appalachian continues to add renewable resources in the years ahead.”

A unit of American Electric Power, Appalachian has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). Appalachian currently has a total of 375 MW of wind generation and an additional 120 MW coming online in 2018 (from the Bluff Point Wind Farm in Indiana). With approval of these two additional wind facilities, Appalachian will have more than 1 GW of wind and hydro generation – enough to power over 230,000 homes.

Regulators will establish case schedules for the filings, the utility notes.